From: Jeff Febus (jfebus@calvin.edu)
Date: Mon Oct 06 2003 - 20:35:25 EDT
CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2003
MEN'S GOLF
GRAND RAPIDS * Calvin College senior Phil Rietema saved his best for last and the result was a Calvin single-season scoring record.
Firing a round of 73 at the final MIAA outing of the year, Rietema not only captured medalist honors in the final league competition of his collegiate career, but also established a new Calvin single-season scoring record in MIAA competition as the Grand Rapids Baptist High School graduate finished with a season scoring average of 76.0.
Rietema's MIAA average breaks the previous Calvin record of 76.3, established by Jeff Timmer in 1994, the younger brother of current Calvin head coach Jim Timmer Jr.. It also allowed him to finish second in the final MIAA individual standings, marking the best individual MIAA finish by a Calvin men's golfer in nearly 30 years.
Most importantly, Rietema's performance on Monday allowed Calvin to maintain a firm grip on second place in the final MIAA team standings as the Knights had moved past defending MIAA champion Olivet and into second place at a league outing hosted by Adrian this past Saturday.
Calvin finished second at Monday's outing, held at the Watermark Country Club, with a team score of 306, five strokes ahead of third place Olivet and four strokes behind first place Hope. In the final MIAA team standings, Hope captured its second MIAA title in the last three years, finishing 44 strokes ahead of Calvin while the Knights finished 14 strokes ahead of Olivet.
Rietema was one of three Calvin individuals to fire a sub-80 round on Monday as junior Ricky Shilts (Kalamazoo Central) produced a round of 75 to finish tied for third place individually while junior Mike Bratt (Lynden, WA) had a 78 to finish 12th. Rounding out Calvin's finishers were seniors Ryan Brandsma (Hinsdale, IL) and Matt Kelly (Western Michigan Christian HS) with rounds of 80.
Rietema's round marked the second straight medalist performance by a Calvin player as Shilts had achieved the feat on Saturday. It also allowed Rietema to land a spot on the All-MIAA first team while Bratt earned a spot on the All-MIAA second team, finishing ninth in the final league standings with an average of 79.0 strokes-per-round. Kelly and Brandsma just missed spots on the second team (spots 7-12) as Kelly was 13th (81.2) and Brandsma 14th (81.4).
"I'm very pleased with how our team played today and how they played overall this season," said Timmer Jr., who took over the reins as Calvin men's golf coach this fall from his father Jim Timmer Sr.. "We started out with a fifth place finish at the first league outing but we weren't far off the pace and we knew we could do better.
"The most exciting part of the season was that we improved as the season progressed," continued Timmer. "Our team chemistry was also excellent. Our guys worked hard and they enjoyed pushing and pulling for one another."
Heading into Monday's outing, Rietema carried a season scoring average of 76.5 and needed a round of 75 to break the Calvin single-season scoring record. Having the comfort of playing on his home course, Rietema was relaxed in his final MIAA round. "My family has been playing at Watermark for eight years now so I'm very familiar with the course," said Rietema. "I played a lot of rounds here this summer so that definitely helped too. My teammates made sure I knew about the record before today but I wasn't nervous. It feels great to break the record but I was happier with the way we finished as a team. We have some very talented underclassmen so I would not be surprised to see the record broken in the next few years."
Rietema's coach was also thrilled to see his senior leader break the Calvin record. "I talked to my brother Jeff the other night and he joked about not letting Phil golf today so that his record could stand," said Timmer Jr. "Seriously, I'm thrilled and I know my brother is too. What a great way for a senior to close out his MIAA career."
Calvin's second place team finish in the final MIAA standings is its best league finish since 2000 when the Knights took second place.
MIAA OUTING #7
At Watermark Country Club 10-6-03
TEAM SCORES*Hope 302, Calvin 306, Olivet 311, Albion 325, Alma 326, Adrian 333, Kalamazoo 358
TOP 12 FINISHERs*Phil Rietema (Calvin) 73; Kody Taylor (Hope) 74; Ryan Shedd (Hope) 75; Ricky Shilts (Calvin) 75; Justin Spyker (Hope) 76; Steve Halsted (Olivet ) 76; Justin DesJarlais (Alma) 76; Eric Drogosch (Albion) 77; Ryan Otto (Hope) 77; Ryan Gilbert (Adrian) 77; Steve Ross (Olivet) 77; Mike Bratt (Calvin) 78.
OTHER CALVIN FINISHERS*Ryan Brandsma 80; Matt Kelly 80.
OTHER HOPE FINISHERS*Jeff Melville 80.
FINAL MIAA TEAM STANDINGS*1. Hope 2128; 2. Calvin 2172; 3. Olivet 2186; 4. Alma 2255; 5. Albion 2256; 7. Adrian 2311; 8. Kalamazoo 2440.
ALL-MIAA FIRST TEAM*Ryan Shedd (Hope), Phil Rietema (Calvin) Michael Dinner (Olivet) Eric Drogosch (Albion), Justin Spyker (Hope), Jeff Melville (Hope).
ALL-MIAA SECOND TEAM*Kody Taylor (Hope), Steve Ross (Olivet), Mike Bratt (Calvin), Ryan Otto (Hope), Justin DesJarlais (Alma), Ryan Munro (Alma)
MIAA MVP * Ryan Shedd (Hope).
Calvin's Top All-Time MIAA Golfers
Name Year Average MIAA Finish
1. Phil Rietema 2003 76.0 2nd
2. Jeff Timmer 1994 76.3 3rd
3 Mark Van Stee 1998 76.5 7th
4. Bruce Langerak 1992 77.0 4th
5. Mark Van Stee 1999 77.1 4th
6. Tony Karsten 2002 79.3 7th
7. Jon Kalamink 2001 78.0 3rd
7. Mark Van Stee 1997 78.0 5th
9. Steve Kraai 1980 78.6 2nd
9. Mark Van Stee 1996 78.6 5th
11. Jeff Timmer 1992 78.9 7th
12. Steve Ritsema 1988 79.0 4th
12. Bryan Hoekstra 2001 79.0 5th
12. Mike Bratt 2003 79.0 9th
15. Matt Kelly 2002 79.1 12th
15. Bryan Hoekstra 1998 79.1 14th
17. Matt Sherman 2002 79.2 14th
18. Adam Derrickson 2000 79.3 4th
19. Bryan Hoekstra 1999 79.5 10th
20. Steve Ritsema 1989 79.9 3rd
20. Dan Vroon 1987 79.9 8th
21. Steve Kraai 1982 80.0 7th
21. Steve Ritsema 1987 80.0 10th
23. Jason Griffioen 1992 80.1 10th
23. Jon Kalmink 1998 80.1 17th
25. Dave Tolsma 1990 80.4 9th
25. Tony Karsten 2001 80.4 7th
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
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